Method and system for engine control

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for controlling exhaust emissions by adjusting an injection profile for different fuels injected into an engine cylinder from different fuel injectors during engine start and crank. By splitting fuel injection during start and cranking so that fuel of lower alcohol content is port injected and fuel of higher alcohol content is direct injected as one or multiple injections, the soot load of the engine can be reduced and fuel economy can be improved.

Description

FIELD[0001]The present application relates to methods and systems for controlling fuel injection in an engine system configured to operate on one or more fuels.BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY[0002]Engines may be configured with direct fuel injectors that inject fuel directly into a combustion cylinder (direct injection), and / or with port fuel injectors that inject fuel into a cylinder port (port fuel injection). Multi-fuel engine systems can use both port and direct injection with different fuel types provided to the different injectors. For example, direct injection of ethanol fuel may be used with port injection of gasoline fuel. Therein, the direct injection of the alcohol fuel may take advantage of the increased charge cooling effects of the alcohol fuel's higher heat of vaporization and increased octane. This helps to address knock limitations, especially under boosted conditions. Further, the port injection of the gasoline fuel may take advantage of the higher power output of the gasol...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a method for improving engine performance and reducing emissions in multi-fuel engines. The method involves using a split injection profile that splits fuel injection of different fuels between a port injection and multiple direct injections based on the properties of each fuel. This allows for optimized fuel injection and the benefits of a fuel injection split between different fuels to be synergized. The method also includes injecting a first fuel with less alcohol content or lower volatility as a port injection and a second fuel with more alcohol content or higher volatility as a direct injection, which helps to rapidly increase the exhaust catalyst temperature for improved engine performance at cold starts, and without raising exhaust particulate matter emissions or degrading engine combustion stability. The patent also discusses the use of a combined intake valve and direct injection method for fuel injection, which further improves engine performance and flexibility.

Problems solved by technology

Direct injected engines, however, also generate more particulate matter emissions (or soot) due to diffuse flame propagation wherein fuel may not adequately mix with air prior to combustion.

Since direct injection, by nature, is a relatively late fuel injection, there may be insufficient time for mixing of the injected fuel with air in the cylinder.

Consequently, there may be pockets of rich combustion that may generate soot locally, degrading exhaust emissions.

However, the inventors herein have identified potential issues with such an approach.

In multi-fuel engine systems, where the fuel that is port injected is different (e.g., with a different alcohol content or a different fuel volatility) from the fuel that is direct injected, the shift towards more usage of the direct injected fuel may not sufficiently reduce PM emissions to meet the mandated low PM emission standards.

For example, during selected engine operating conditions, the direct injection may be performed too late such that by the time the direct injection occurs, the emitted PMs are higher than emission standards.

As another example, the higher soot load generated by the port injected fuel may eclipse the lower soot load generated by the direct injected fuel, obscuring the PM reduction resulting from the direct injection.

The problem may be further exacerbated in multi-fuel engine systems due to the varying availability of the different fuels.

Further still, the fuel volatility may have interactions with the injector type.

For example, port fuel injection can have problems with fuel volatility while direct injection is relatively insensitive to fuel volatility.

As such, this can degrade combustion stability and increase potential for engine misfire.

Overall, fuel economy and cold-start exhaust emissions may be degraded.

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